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PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) — Robert Morris men’s ice hockey head coach Derek Schooley joined The Fan Morning Show on Wednesday to talk about his team’s preparation for the inaugural Three Rivers Classic tournament, which takes place Friday and Saturday at Consol Energy Center.

The Colonials kick off the tournament by facing Penn State in the semifinals on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Penn State, the only newer Division I program than Robert Morris, is scheduled to play them through next season, but nothing is guaranteed beyond that, given that the teams aren’t in the same conference.

Schooley is absolutely on board for renewing the series for 2014-15 and beyond.

“They know my email address. They know my phone number. Hopefully we can continue it down the road,” Schooley said. “I think it grows the game of college hockey in this area.”

He hopes that his program and college hockey in general can grow as long as the NHL lockout is in effect. He’s proud of the way his program has developed over the past few years, and thinks it has come a long way.

“I get questions on the road about who Robert Morris was,” Schooley laughed. “People realize that Robert Morris has become a player in college hockey. Can we do it on a conisistent basis… that’s up to our players and our coaches.”